TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister unilaterally removed the name of Marwan Barghouti from the list of prisoners in the last minutes, endangering the implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, a source close to the prominent Palestinian prisoner told Middle East Eye on Thursday.
Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian political figure according to polls, is one of the most valuable names potentially to be exchanged for 48 Israeli captives in Gaza.
A source close to Barghouti and his family told MEE that on Wednesday night, mediators, including U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, signed a list of prisoners, including Barghouti.
However, on Thursday, an Israeli spokesperson told reporters that "at this point, he will not be part of this release."
Barghouti's name appears to have been unilaterally removed by the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister, the source said.
Ahmed Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Hassan Salama, a senior Hamas official; and Abdullah Barghouti, a Hamas leader unrelated to Marwan, were also removed from the list, according to Middle East Eye sources.
Their removal could potentially pose problems for the ceasefire agreement, as negotiators are pressing for their names to be reinstated.
The release of Barghouti is said to be a red line for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. If Ben Gvir withdraws his parliamentary members from the government coalition, it could endanger the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, MEE reported that Barghouti's wife remains in Cairo, lobbying negotiators to ensure her husband's inclusion in the prisoner exchange.
A Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the mediators are working to reach an agreement on the release of the prisoners.
"We will hold a national dialogue with Palestinian factions to align our position regarding Israel's response to the prisoners' names," the official said.
Based on the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday night, Israeli captives will be freed in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, 1,700 of whom are men, women, and children detained from Gaza and held without charge.
Barghouti has been imprisoned since 2004 and has been in solitary confinement since the Israeli genocide in Gaza began in October 2023.
As a senior figure in Fatah, the party that dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA), he has been targeted by Israel for his leading role in the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005 and his popularity among the public.
Polls indicate that, if he could run for office, Barghouti, 66, would be a strong candidate for President of Palestine in a general election.
He is seen as a unifying figure despite identifying himself with Fatah, which is associated with the very unpopular PA.
Egypt and Qatar Push for His Release
In January, MEE reported that Egypt and Qatar, together with Hamas, were using "every means available" to secure Barghouti's release as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
A source close to the negotiations told MEE that his name was one of the key figures to be exchanged for Israeli captives detained on October 7, 2023, in a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Major General Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, director of the General Intelligence Directorate of Egypt, personally intervened to push for his release, the source said.
However, a previous source told MEE that senior officials of the Palestinian Authority wanted Barghouti to be removed from any exchange, fearing it could threaten the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
In August, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Barghouti in prison and was recorded threatening him that Israel would "take out" anyone who opposed it.
This was the first time Barghouti, who appeared old and thin, was seen in public in years.
In the video, Ben Gvir was seen saying to Barghouti, "Whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women, we will obliterate them. You will not defeat us."
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